Reviews 2017

Translating Children's Literature

What are the problems experienced by young translators when they face the issues
related to translating for children? How can students attending courses in translation
studies or children’s literature be assisted to face the variety and complexity of
literary texts addressing young readers, listeners and viewers? These are only a
few of the challenges explored by Gillian Lathey in Translating Children’s
Literature, published as part of the Translation Practices Explained series.

Lathey, a renowned scholar in the field of translation of children’s literature,
a judge of the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in translation, and until
recently the Director of the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature
at Roehampton University, London, is also the author of the following renowned
studies: The Translation of Children’s Literature (2006) and The Role
of Translators in Children’s Literature: Invisible Storytellers (2010).
Translating Children’s Literature opens with a list of titles in the
series Translation Practices Explained, which includes course books on various
aspects of professional translation practices, for example scientific and technical
translation or audiovisual translation. The inclusion of Lathey’s study in the
Translation Practices Explained series testifies to the fact that translating for
children has been ranked among the translation fields that deserve special attention.
It also proves that the complexity of translation for children has been recognized
as a discipline requiring specialization in various media, not only in the traditional
one of print, but also in the new audio-visual and electronic media. The recognition
of the ubiquitous presence of translated children’s literary texts seems to lead
to the acknowledgement that children’s literature demands versatile translators.

Lathey herself begins her study with an extensive introduction that is especially
valuable for self-learners and students of translation. These are probably the
individuals who, despite the situation mentioned above, particularly need to know
that the translation of books for children is still likely to be underestimated.
The author shows the absurdity of such a view by reminding readers that the boundaries
between adult and non-adult fiction are recognizably fluid. She also highlights
some particularities of texts for children by stressing their inherent double address,
which may lead to several layers of meaning. According to Lathey, this adult-child
duality reveals that translation of children’s literature may be a particularly
demanding job. However, in order to give a broader insight into the issues of
translating for children, the author complements her analysis and conclusions
with the expert opinion of others: scholars, critics, authors and illustrators.
Thus, Jill Paton Walsh’s reflection on translation of texts for children is quoted
to convey "an enlightening encouragement to any writer or translator attempting
to understand the artistic potential of writing for the young" (3). To raise the
"awareness of the potential narrative and stylistic niceties of writing and translating
for children" (4), two versions of the same passage by Roald Dahl are presented:
the first as it appears in a short story for adults ("The Champion of the World");
the second as it can be read in the children’s novel, Danny: The Champion of
the World.

Lathey’s study examines translated texts from all five continents and refers
to works written in more than ten different languages. Readers will not only learn
about the features of the translation of children’s classics such as A. A. Milne’s
Winnie-the-Pooh or Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, but they are also
offered excerpts from several texts in the source language and in the target
version. These sections create an international perspective, an integral and,
consequently, an indispensable feature of any study of translation. The originals
and the translations facilitate comparative analysis and lead the reader to the
recognition of the decisive role of culture in translation procedure. The target
context is additionally stressed with reference to the developmental issues of
prospective young readers and their socially conditioned expectations, which may
be the result of mere manipulation. Therefore, when discussing the ideological
dimension of translation, Lathey insists that translators should possess "political
finesse" (6) and, if possible, consult the author so that the target reader could
discover encoded messages inscribed in the source text.

Translating Children’s Literature consists of seven chapters. The author
puts special emphasis on the narrative communication with the child reader (Chapter one),
the translation of cultural markers and intertextual references (Chapter two), and
on the translating of the visual and audio aspects of texts for children and young
people (Chapters three, four and five). Chapter six, discussing retellings, retranslation
and relay translation — all typical features of children’s literature and the canon,
concludes with the warning that future translators "should also be aware that their
published translation might be used as the basis for a relay translation without
acknowledgement or payment" (125). The last chapter, "Children’s publishing, globalization
and the child reader," focuses on other aspects of translation work, for example,
the copyright status of translations and the profiling of translators. The speed
of globalization processes in the publishing industry is illustrated with the case
of the translation of the Harry Potter series. The very last section of this chapter
even envisages the possibilities of engaging child readers in the translation
process (138-141).

Since the aim of the book is to assist "would-be translators" (11), each chapter
includes a set of exercises, discussion points and further reading. A few sections
are also summarized. Such a didactic apparatus containing various types of helpful
stimuli for effective work encourages students to read as widely as possible across
children’s literature, to consider in a responsible way the discussed themes, and
to prepare for informed confrontation with the challenges with which translators
sometimes have to deal. Lathey’s book also contains practical suggestions as well
as implicit and explicit advice to prospective translators. It thus assists students
in acquiring the insight, skills and sensitivity needed in this field. Additionally,
it provides an invaluable source of information about the interdisciplinary aspects
of translation of children’s literature. Therefore, Translation Practices Explained
can, without reservation, be ranked among the essential reading for anyone working
on translation of children’s literature either as a scholar or as a future translator.